Arthur Fickenscher
| birth_place = Aurora, Illinois, USA | death_date = | death_place = San Francisco, California, USA | term = 1921 - 1933 | predecessor = Francis Harris Abbot | successor = Harry Rogers Pratt }} Arthur Fickenscher (March 9, 1871 in Aurora, Illinois – April 15, 1954 in San Francisco, California) was an American composer and academic. The first head of the music department of the University of Virginia, and director of the Virginia Glee Club from 1920 to about 1933, he is credited with being an early twentieth century pioneer of microtonal music. Fickenscher studied music in Munich under Joseph Rheinberger and lived then as a teacher in Oakland, California, and Charlottesville, Virginia. From 1911 to 1914, he was a vocal teacher in Berlin. From 1920 until his retirement in 1941 he was the first head of the music department at the University of Virginia. From 1922 to 1933 he was the conductor of the Virginia Glee Club, a male choral ensemble at the University of Virginia. He composed a Mimodrama, orchestral variations in the medieval style, a Dies Irae, visions for voice and orchestra, church works, a piano quintet, and various songs (including the song cycle Willowwood). His first major work, Visions for dramatic soprano and orchestra, received its premiere at the Royal Conservatory in Berlin in 1913 to acclaim from the New York Times. Recordings have been made of his song cycle Willowwood and his piano quintet From the seventh Realm; of the latter, Percy Grainger wrote, "While I am a reverent admirer of the piano and string quintets by Bach, César Franck, Brahms, Cyril Scott and others, I must confess that this American work by Fickenscher out-soars them all, for my ears, in point of spiritual rapture and sensuous loveliness." Fickenscher also invented the Polytone, a keyboard instrument that could produce sixty distinct tones within the scope of an octave. Works * Visions, symphonic seal for dramatic soprano and large orchestra, 1912 * Willowwood and Well Away, 1925 * Day of Judgement, 1927 * Out of the Gay Nineties, 1934 * From the seventh realm, Piano Quintet, 1939 * Aucalete, symphonic poetry, 1945 * Lament for organ, 1951 * Improvisational Fantasy for organ, 1954 * Aucassin and Nicolete, symphonic poetry for chorus and orchestra * The Chamber Blue, poetry for chorus and orchestra * The Land East of the Sun, symphonic poetry for chorus and orchestra * Old Irish Tune for chamber orchestra * Evolutionary Quartet, String Quartet * Willowwood for alto, viola and piano Seasons Fickenscher is confirmed as leading the Glee Club from 1921 to 1933. * Glee Club 1921-1922 season * Glee Club 1922-1923 season * Glee Club 1923-1924 season * Glee Club 1924-1925 season * Glee Club 1925-1926 season * Glee Club 1926-1927 season * Glee Club 1927-1928 season * Glee Club 1928-1929 season * Glee Club 1929-1930 season * Glee Club 1930-1931 season * Glee Club 1931-1932 season * Glee Club 1932-1933 season References Category:1871 births Category:1954 deaths Category:American composers Category:University of Virginia faculty Category:Conductors of the Virginia Glee Club Category:Glee Club of the 1920s Category:Glee Club of the 1930s Category:People from Illinois